The continuing (mini)saga of my bum left leg.
I had a great hike/run on Sunday with Jim. We went up Table Mtn on the Washington side of the Gorge. We ran about half and hiked (though at a good clip) about half. Needless to say, I am sore today.
Not sure if it was being hopped up on Naproxen (generic Aleve) or if it was the method of alternating walking and running, but my leg did pretty well. I don't mind the dull ache of soreness, it's the accute pain I have to watch out for when I run.
In the meantime, I read in the latest edition of Trail Runner magazine about the benefits of several supplements. You've likely heard of anti-oxidants which fight anything from arthritis to cancer (no sarcasm here.) They "eat" free radicals, which as I recall from my Organic Chem days are cells with an unpaired electron. The cell then keeps grabbing electrons and making a lot of other cells unstable. Bottom line: Tissue damage.
I read about a couple other supplements as well which help with tissue regeneration and joint lubrication. All this to say, Sarah good-naturedly helped me find several supplements yesterday so I could try one more thing in the battle to get my leg to heal.
One of those supplements is fish oil. Can I just say burping up the taste of fish bait all morning has not been fun! I don't like "fishy" taste to begin with, so this has been doubly disturbing for me. I just hope my fish-burps mean the supplements are working!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Watermelon Crawl
I love my wife.
The other day Sarah decided to make Watermelon Lemonade. I figured "yum" so I was all for it.
She cut up the watermelon and blended it with sugar and a few strawberries. It was at this point she realized she needed to strain the pulp out of the watermelon juice and we didn't have anything thin enough to strain it with.
Brilliantly - but not before some experimentation with the cheese grater - we decided she could use paper towels. She draped one over the pitcher and poured pureed watermelon over the towel. Then she watched and waited. Waited, waited. I stretched for a run, and she waited. Finally came the acknowledgement this was going to take a while.
I suggested a watermelon/lemon smoothie, but Sarah would have none of it. She decided she'd wring the juice through the paper towel. So one at a time, she'd place the paper towl, pour some puree on it, wring it, and go to the next towel.
After about 10 minutes I gave up trying to convince her to just make a smoothie since I could see she was determined. At about 15 minutes, with Sarah still wringing watermelon pith, with drops of juice all over the counter, and with watermelon rinds and microwaved lemons all over the kitchen, the camel's back broke, and suddenly my mind grasped the humor of the moment.
I started giggling as I stretched on the kitchen floor. Sarah started giggling and suddenly a frustrating experience was a memory. I love my little "Martita".
Oh, and the lemonade was great! Should be a fun summer treat if I buy her a citrus juicer and a small strainer!
The other day Sarah decided to make Watermelon Lemonade. I figured "yum" so I was all for it.
She cut up the watermelon and blended it with sugar and a few strawberries. It was at this point she realized she needed to strain the pulp out of the watermelon juice and we didn't have anything thin enough to strain it with.
Brilliantly - but not before some experimentation with the cheese grater - we decided she could use paper towels. She draped one over the pitcher and poured pureed watermelon over the towel. Then she watched and waited. Waited, waited. I stretched for a run, and she waited. Finally came the acknowledgement this was going to take a while.
I suggested a watermelon/lemon smoothie, but Sarah would have none of it. She decided she'd wring the juice through the paper towel. So one at a time, she'd place the paper towl, pour some puree on it, wring it, and go to the next towel.
After about 10 minutes I gave up trying to convince her to just make a smoothie since I could see she was determined. At about 15 minutes, with Sarah still wringing watermelon pith, with drops of juice all over the counter, and with watermelon rinds and microwaved lemons all over the kitchen, the camel's back broke, and suddenly my mind grasped the humor of the moment.
I started giggling as I stretched on the kitchen floor. Sarah started giggling and suddenly a frustrating experience was a memory. I love my little "Martita".
Oh, and the lemonade was great! Should be a fun summer treat if I buy her a citrus juicer and a small strainer!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
My left stilt
For a long time now I've had a recurring dream once every few months. I am either running or walking and every time I step with my left leg it is about a foot longer than my right leg. In the dream this causes me to walk with an exaggerated, strange limp. I lift up high on my left leg as though I were stepping up on a stilt, and nearly pause at the top. Then I crash down on my right leg and keep going. It's a bit like a square tire might make a car look. Lift, thump, lift, thump, lift, thump...
I finally decided to get myself checked out by an orthopedic specialist since I've had so many problems in my left leg (which I thought were caused by my hamstrings and/or IT band). Turns out my left leg might be about 1/4 inch longer than my right. Now it's on to more specialists.
The orthopedic sent me to the orthotics guy, he'll send me to a PT, and back to the orthopedic to reasess. We'll try orthotics and PT, and if that doesn't help it's on to MRI's and injections of isotopes to see what's going on in there.
As annoying as it is to play the bureaucratic insurance/referral game, I'm still relieved that I haven't heard anyone utter the words "you should stop running" and I feel like I may have finally begun my journey to recovery.
Anything has to be better to the 24 hour a day pain I have had in my leg for most of the last 6 months.
I finally decided to get myself checked out by an orthopedic specialist since I've had so many problems in my left leg (which I thought were caused by my hamstrings and/or IT band). Turns out my left leg might be about 1/4 inch longer than my right. Now it's on to more specialists.
The orthopedic sent me to the orthotics guy, he'll send me to a PT, and back to the orthopedic to reasess. We'll try orthotics and PT, and if that doesn't help it's on to MRI's and injections of isotopes to see what's going on in there.
As annoying as it is to play the bureaucratic insurance/referral game, I'm still relieved that I haven't heard anyone utter the words "you should stop running" and I feel like I may have finally begun my journey to recovery.
Anything has to be better to the 24 hour a day pain I have had in my leg for most of the last 6 months.
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